Expandable core-former



Oct. 1.8, 1966 L. D. LONG 3,279,739

EXPANDABLE CORE-FORMER v Original Filed Aug. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet lFIG. FIG- 2 65@ e @i @48 IN VEN TOR.

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Oct. 18, 1966 L. D. LONG 3,279,739

EXPANDABLE CORE-FORMER original Filed Aug. 25, 1960 2 Sheetsheet sINVENTOR.

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.illllllltellll /f/ f//f//A/ f 9 w e 0 ,MQ 9 w uw m u wv a 6 mw Hw 6 6 6United States Patent O 3,279,739 EXPANDABLE CORE-FORMER Leonard D. Long,Long Construction Co., P.0. Box 288, 2110 Mount Pleasant St.,Charleston, S.C.

Application Aug. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 215,218, now Patent No. 3,210,039,dated Oct. 5, 1965, which is a division of application Ser. No. 51,972,Aug. 25, 1960, now

Patent No. 3,090,093, dated May 21, 1963. Divided and this applicationJuly 19, 1965, Ser. No. 473,046

3 Claims. (Cl. 249-181) This invention relates to a core-former, andmore particularly to an expandable core-former for producing cores incored building blocks and the like. This application is a division of mycopending application Serial No. 215,218, led August l, 1962, now PatentNo. 3,210,039, issued October 5, 1965, and which is a division of myapplication Serial No. 51,972, filed August 25, 1960, Patent No.3,090,093, issued May 2l, 1963.

It is an object of my invention to provide a core-former which can beexpanded by a rotational thrust force, which can be uniformly expandedthroughout its length, which can be expanded against the action ofsubstantial counterforces, which can be maintained in a fixed positionand orientation during its expansion, and which will prove sturdy anddurable in use.

In accordance with one form of my invention, the coreformer comprises aplurality of core segments having inwardly presented thrust-receivingfaces which are operatively engaged by thrust-transmitting cam meansmounted on a first shaft interposed between the core segments androtatable to cause said cam means to move the core segments into spacedrelation to each other for expanding the core-former. Conveniently, thecore segments are operatively interconnected whereby upon reverserotation of said rst shaft said core segments will be moved toward eachother to collapse the core-former. A second shaft is operativelyconnected to said core segments for moving the core-former to and fromoperative position in a mold.

A plurality of face plates are carried against the outer faces of theseveral core segments to bridge the spaces between said segments andprevent the entry of the material being cored from entering into theinterior of the core-former from the sides thereof when said core-formeris expanded. Preferably, the opposed ends of the face plates areprovided with cover plates extending over plate means at the opposedends of the core-former to prevent the material being cored fromentering into the interior of the core-former from the ends thereof.

Other objects and features of my invention will become apparent from themore detailed description which follows and from the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. l is a vertical section through an expandable coreformer embodyingmy invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, butshowing the core-former in expanded position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section of the core-formershown in FIG. 1, but taken on an oblique core-former axis and showingthe core-former in expanded position;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. l, butshowing portions of the core-former broken away;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section similar to FIG. l, but showing thecore-former in expanded position;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the core-former shown in FIG. 1, butwith portions thereof broken away; and

ICC

FIG. 8 is an enlarged isometric view of the cam sleeve shown in FIG. 2.

My core-former is adapted to be used in combination with an apparatus ofthe type disclosed in my Patent No. 3,090,093, issued May 2l, 1963, forproducing molded components having cores formed therein. Theconstruction of my core-former is such that it can be inserted in acollapsed condition into an appropriate mold prior to the addition ofthe material to be molded, and then expanded to compress said materialagainst the inwardly presented mold walls. This permits the formation ofhigh-density molded articles having cores formed therein.

For ease of description, the core-former is described herein as beingused to produce cored building blocks formed from an aggregate mixture.It is to be understood, however, that my core-former can be used forproducing various other types of cored elements.

The core-former is movable into and out of operative position on a moldby means of an outwardly extending shaft 635. As shown in FIG. 1, anelongated sleeve 636 having a pair of inwardly extending end blocks 638and 639 is rigidly mounted on the lower end of the shaft 635, as bythreadably connecting the end block 638 thereto. The sleeve 636 has anoctagonal cross-section, and on its alternate faces is provided with aplurality of elongated slots 640 extending between the end blocks 638and 639.

The core-former is expanded by means of a rotatable shaft 644 extendingupwardly through the shaft 635 for connection to la rotational powersource. The lower end of the shaft 644 comprises a quadri-lobed cam 646rotatably carried in the sleeve 636 with the end faces of said camslidably rotating against the opposed inner faces of the end blocks 638and 639 and the outer faces of the cam lobes being slidable against theinner iwalls of said sleeve. As shown, the cam lobes are disposed on thetransverse and oblique core-former axes when the coreformer is in itscollapsed and expanded positions, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, four elongated core segments 648 having lengthsgenerally corresponding to the length of the sleeve 636 including itsend blocks are disposed at each corner of the core-former. The inwardlypresen-ted faces of each of the core segments comprise three angularlydisposed faces adapted to abu-t the adjacent outer faces of the sleeve636 with an elongated cam follower 650 keyed and bolted to theintermediate upwardly presented face and projecting inwardly therefromthrough one of the sleeve slots 640. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the camfollowers 650 is disposed on an oblique coreformer axis, and is thusreceived between a pair of the lobes on the cam 646 when the core-formeris in its collapsed position.

In order to prevent aggregate from entering the coreformer when it is inexpanded position, I mount a vertically extending face plate 652 on eachpair of adjacent core segments 648. Each of the face plates 652 has awidth corresponding to the width of the core-former in collapsedposition so that it bridges the space between a pair lof adjacent coresegments when the core-former is in expanded position. A rib 654projects inwardly from each face plate between a pair of adjacent coresegments for connection to a slide 656 slidably carried in a pair ofaligned slots formed in the adjacent faces of a pair of adjacent coresegments for thus holding the face plate on said core segments.

Extending inwardly from the upper and lower ends of the face plates aretop and bottom cover plates 658 and 659, respectively. As is best shownin FIG. 4, a screed plate 660 is received on the shaft 635 and isinterposed between the outwardly presented face of the end block 638 andthe top cover plates 658. The screed plate has a lateral extent onlyslightly smaller than the lateral extent of the core-former in itscollapsed position, and thus acts in combination with the cover plates658 to close the upper end of the core-former when it is in its expandedposition to prevent aggregate from entering the upper end of saidcore-former.

Similarly, a pilot plate 662 is interposed between the outer face of theend block 639 and the bottom cover plates 659 to act in combination withsaid cover plates to prevent aggregate from entering the bottom of thecoreformer when itis in its expanded position. Extending upwardlythrough the pilot plate 662 is a pilot 664 threadably received in theend block 639 and having a generally rectangularly shaped lower endadapted to seat in an opening in the bottom of the mold and engage thefaces thereof to prevent the core-former from rotating in said mold. Asshown in FIG. 1, the cover plates 658 and 659 extend inwardly from theirrespective face plate 652 to abut the shaft 635 and pilot 664 when thecoreformer is in its collapsed position. Said cover plates, duringcollapse of the core-former, slide against the screed and pilot plates,and the face plates 652 slide against the outwardly presented faces ofthe core segments 648, to screed any aggregate therefrom. Conveniently,to facilitate such screeding, the edges of the said face and coverplates are beveled, as at 665.

The cam 646 is adapted to effect only an expansion of the core-former,and thus to collapse said core-former and to hold the core segments 648in operative position, I mount a pair of coil springs 668 on each of thecore segments 648 adjacent each of their ends. The springs 668 at theupper end of the core segments are received in recesses formed thereinand extend inwardly therefrom on the oblique core-former axes forreception in recesses formed in the end block 638, the end of saidsprings being retained in position by screws 670. Similarly, the springs668 at the lower ends of the core segments are recessedly mounted insaid core segments and the lower end block 639.

Thus, the operation of the core-former illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 is asfollows: The shaft 635 is moved axially to position the core-former in amold, with the pilot 664 seating said core-former in an operativeposition therein. When the shaft 644 is rotated through a 45 angle, in aclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, the lobes on the cam 646 bearagainst the cam followers 650 to force them outwardly in the sleeveslots 640 to thus move the core segments outwardly on the obliquecore-former axes. During such expansion, the sleeve 636 remains in afixed angular position so that the sliding movements of the camfollowers 650 in the slots 640 will guide the expansion movements of thecore segments and prevent any rotation thereof, the slides 656 providingadditional guiding action. With the core segments in this expandedposition shown in FIG. 3, the face plates 652 bridge the spaces betweenthe spaced pairs of adjacent core segments along the side faces of thecore-formers to prevent the entry of aggregate therein, and the top andbottom cover plates 658 and 659 cooperate with the screed plate 660 andpilot plate 662 prevent the entry of aggregate into the core-former fromthe top and bottom thereof.

To retract the core-former into its collapsed position, the shaft 644 isrotated through a 45 angle in a counterclockwise direction as viewed inFIG. 3. Such rotational movement disengages the lobes on the cam 646from the cam followers 650, and the core segments 648 are thus pulledinwardly by the springs 668 until the cam followers 650 abut the facesof the cam 646 between its cam lobes, as shown in FIG.. 2. The inwardmovement of the core segments is guided by the cam followers 650 slidingin the sleeve slots 640 and by the face plate `slides 656 sliding in thealigned slots formed in the pairs of adjacent core segments. During thisinward movement of the core segments, the beveled edges 665 on the faceplates and their cover plates 658 and 659 slide against the outer facesof the core segments and the screed and pilot plates to screed anyaggregate therefrom. With the core-former in its collapsed position, itmay be removed from the mold by applying a lifting force to the shaft635. As can be seen from FIG. l, this lifting force causes the upper endblock 638 to bear against the screed plate 660, and the ends of thesleeve slots 640 to bear against the lower ends of the cam followers650, to thus raise the entire core-former out of the mold.

I claim:

1. An expandable core-former, comprising a plunality of core segmentsmovable with respect to each other, a rst shaft movable for moving thecore-former to and from an operative position in a mold land having -asleeve provided with end blocks xedly mounted thereon and interposedbetween said core segments, a second shaft rotatably carried in saidfirst shaft and having cam means disposed wit-hin said sleeve andextending between said end blocks, a plurality of cam followersextending the length of said cam means xedly mounted on said coresegments and slidably received in slots in said sleeve for engagementwith said cam means along the length thereof upon rotation of saidsecond shaft in one direction to force said core segments outwardly withrespect to each other to expand the core-former, means operativelyinterconnecting said core segments to said sleeve in alignment with saidcam followers beyond the ends of said cam means and moving said coresegments toward each other to collapse the core-former upon rotation ofsaid second shaft in an opposite direction, a pair of plates disposedagainst t-he opposed ends of said sleeve end blocks, fa pilot extendingthrough one of said pair of plates and fixedly connected to one of saidsleeve end 'blocks for releasably retaining the core-former in anon-rotatable position in a mold, @and a plurality of face plates onsaid core segments closing 'and bridging the spaces between adjacentcore segments along the sides of the core-former and having cover platesat their ends receivable over said pair of plates rand acting incombination with said pair of plates to close and bridge the spacesbetween the core segments at the top and bottom of the core-former.

2. An expandable core-former, comprising a plurality of core segmentsmovable with respect -to each other, a first shaft movable for movingt-he core-former to and from an operative position in a mold and havinga sleeve provided with end blocks xedly mounted thereon and interposedbetween said lcore segments, a second shaft rotatably carried in saidfirst shaft and having cam means disposed within said sleeve andextending lbetween said sleeve end blocks, a plurality of cam followersextending the length of said cam means lixedly mounted on said coresegments and slidably received in slots in said sleeve for engagementwith said cam means along the length thereof upon rotation of saidsecond shaft in one direction to force said core segments outwardly withrespect to each other to expand the core-former, a plurality of springsin alignment with said cam lfollowers interconnecting said core segmentsto said sleeve beyond the end of said cam means and moving said coresegments toward each other to -collapse the core-former upon rotation ofsaid second shaft in an opposite direction, fa plurality of face platesclosing and bridging the spaces between said core segments along thecore-former sides and having slides received in slots formed in adjacentcore segments, land means closing and bridging the spaces between thecore segments at the ends of the core-former.

3. An expandable core-former, comprising a plurality of core segmentsmovable with respect to each other, a first shaft movable for moving thecore-former to and from an operative position in a mold and having asleeve provided with end blocks fixedly mounted thereon and interposed-between said core segments, a second shaft rotatably carried in saidfirst shaft and having cam means disposed within said sleeve andextending between the sleeve end blocks, a plurality of cam followersextending the length of the cam means xedly mounted on said coresegments and slidably received in slots in said sleeve for engagementwith said cam means along the length thereof upon rotation of saidsecond shaft in one direction to foroe said core segments outwardly'with respect to each other to expand the core-former, a plurality ofsprings in alignment with the cam followers beyond the ends of the cammeans interconnecting each of said core segments to said sleeve formoving said core segments toward each other to collapse the core-formerupon rotation of said second shaft in an opposite direction, a pluralityof face plates closing and bridging the spaces between said coresegments along the core-former sides and having slides received in slotsyfor-med in |adjacent core segments, 15

and means closing and bridging the spaces between the core segments atthe ends of the core-former.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Bisset.

Peavey.

Bennett 249-181 Shelton 249-182 X Shell 249-147 Landmann.

Whitman.

George 25-41 McCall 249-179 Lowe 25-128 I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, PrimaryExaminer. J. H. FLINT, 'Assistant Examiner.

1. AN EXPANDABLE CORE-FORMER, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CORE SEGMENTSMOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, A FIRST SHAFT MOVABLE FOR MOVING THECORE-FORMER TO AND FROM AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN A MOLD AND HAVING ASLEEVE PROVIDED WITH END BLOCKS FIXEDLY MOUNTED THEREON AND INTERPOSEDBETWEEN SAID CORE SEGMENTS, A SECOND SHAFT ROTATABLY CARRIED IN SAIDFIRST SHAFT AND HAVING CAM MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SLEEVE ANDEXTENDING BETWEEN SAID END BLOCKS, A PLURALITY OF CAM FOLLOWERSEXTENDING THE LENGTH OF SAID CAM MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID CORESEGMENTS AND SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SLOTS IN SAID SLEEVE FOR ENGAGEMENTWITH SAID CAM MEANS ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF UPON ROTATION OF SAIDSECOND SHAFT IN ONE DIRECTION TO FORCE SAID CORE SEGMENTS OUTWARDLY WITHRESPECT TO EACH OTHER TO EXPAND THE CORE-FORMER, MEANS OPERATIVELYINTERCONNECTING SAID CORE SEGMENTS TO SAID SLEEVE IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAIDCAM FOLLOWERS BEYOND THE ENDS OF SAID